Night of the Nightingale
by Aya of Rivia
Summary: As Otacon once asked, can love bloom in the battlefield? That's what here to find out, when the two Hunters cross each other's path. Feel free to advice me and correct me.


We do not know the propose of the Hunt, nor do we give it much thought. The reason why we become Hunters is almost always the same for us. The illness takes us over and we come to this forsaken city looking for a cure. Rare are those who sign a contract out of free will, unlike the Old Hunters who became Hunters out of pride and honour.  
Now, that years have passed and the Hunters have become fewer, we have lost sight of our purpose. What do we know than the blood that we have hunt for all these years? We have forgotten life. All we know is the hunt and the Dream.  
Each an every Hunter dreams about a safe haven where they can rest before going out to the hunt. A Dream different for each and every one, replicating the past and present but also the future. For each Hunter dreams of their own comfort and safety in a place where nobody is safe. We are but monsters made out of blood. We are the Hunters and our hunting ground is called Yharnam.

It is hard to know when the Hunt started, however they last all night and one of the nights when the Hunt was on a young Hunter appeared. Youthful and beautiful, the young Anabel.  
Born in one the many houses in Yahrman she was one of the few Hunters who became a Hunter for glory and fame that it entailed, even though those things mattered little in Yahrman. Yet, it did matter to her family and, as such, she gave in to their will and rather than making use of her beauty to become a lovely bride in some far off land, she became the Hunter her family desired her to become.

Though her beauty was not lost, many things were lost to her after she came outside with the tricone hat and the long black Hunter's coat. Her life as a normal woman was lost to the Dream. All she could do now was hunt beasts and dream of a distant place where graves stood and the moon hanged low.

She did not know what to make of the Hunter's Dream when she first arrived. It was a strange place for her, where she found the graves of many of her forefathers that spend their lives on the hunt, much like herself.  
She was a curious one. She asked many things about the hunt, things to which her new mentor had no answer to. She joined the hunt with an innocent wish, and for a greater cause.

"Go out and hunt some beasts. It is what we, Hunters, do."

In her naive ways, she thought that Master Gehrman told her that her cause was noble and she was protecting the people of Yahrman. She believed that the old Hunter bound to his wheelchair was telling her to do the right the thing. Anabel did not even think that the old Hunter could be tricking her. No. He was her only guidance in the Dream. It was only right that she respected her elders and fulfilled his request.  
Hunt the beasts. End the night. So was her mission. The mission of the young and beautiful Anabel.  
There were many things she yet did not knew.

For example, she did not know where to go. She found herself in Central Yahrman, a familiar yet strange location for her. Of course she knew Yahrman like the back of her hand, but she was unfamiliar with the beasts and the new surroundings of locations she was never allowed to venture in nor she knew about the other Hunters.

Vicious and fast, the other Hunters were far better than the beautiful Anabel and they did not let themselves be charmed by her beauty.  
The man looking beasts were easy for her. Once in a while she got hit by a bullet, but she was able to deal with those residing in Central Yahrman, yet the big ones and the Hunters made her realize that it was time for a change.

Anabel went to the Plain Doll and asked her for a favor that the Doll did not understand, for the Doll was not a Hunter nor did she fight any battle. She was just a doll wearing a beautiful dark red dress and a very feminine hat.

"Cut your hair? I do not understand, good Hunter."

"The other Hunters... They grab me by hair and throw me to the ground."

"I do not if I fully understand, Hunter. But if you need my help, I shall assist you in any way I can."  
"Thank you, Dollie."

Anabel had a very beautiful smile, a gesture or beauy the Plain Doll did not know. She simply tilted her head looking at the young Hunter.  
Sitting by the Bath Messengers, the Doll kneeled behind Anabel and cut her long and dark hair until it was formless and masculine. Her feminity did not vanish, yet she was beginning to transition into a Hunter. No longer was she Anabel, the girl from Yarhman. Now, she was Anabel, the Hunter of beasts. The transformation was complete when she put on the tricone hat and walked into the endless night in search for her prey.

She was a Hunter out of pride and honour, like the Old Hunters.


End file.
